Under The Surface
by mysteriousMonarch
Summary: Sollux Captor may be blind, but as a child he discovered something that no other human has ever laid eyes on- the existence of merpeople. Can a friendship between a human and sea dweller withstand the test of time and all of the obstacles life has to offer, especially when deeper feelings develop? Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"Do you have your things ready for our trip to the beach today, Sollux?" The seven year old boy turned his head in the direction the woman's voice had come from and remained still as he stood by the side of his bed.

"Almost, Ms. Maryam," the boy lisped his answer. "I'm just packing right now," he patted one of his hands on top of his bed near an assortment of items that he had been gathering to pack for the beach trip.

"Very good," the woman smiled warmly. "Are you packing for your brother as well? Where is he?" she asked.

"He's in the bathroom," Sollux responded sounding slightly annoyed. "I'm not packing for him he can do that himself," he said petulantly. He had a frown on his face as he turned his head back toward his pile of belongings on his bed and pushed a few of them around.

"That doesn't sound very nice," Rosa Maryam said and decided to come closer to the child to have a seat at the end of his twin sized bed. "What's wrong, Sollux?"

"Nothing," the little boy grumbled keeping his head down facing his bed.

"It certainly doesn't seem like nothing," the woman probed. Sollux grabbed his sheets in his fist before giving in.

"He won't leave me alone," he finally said. "He keeps following me around and trying to do everything I'm doing."

"Mituna?" Ms. Maryam asked for clarification.

"Yeah."

"He just loves you, dear. You are his brother after all. He probably looks up to you," she reasoned.

"Why? It's not like I'm older than him. We're the same age," Sollux argued.

"I know, sweetie, but you and him went through quite a bit last year together," Ms. Maryam said gently. She reached out to place a comforting hand on the child's arm. He flinched at the unexpected contact but relaxed quickly enough. "The only family the two of you have is each other so try not to be too cold to him," she said softly. The sound of a toilet flushing could be heard faintly and Sollux sighed then pulled away from the woman's hand to continue getting his things together. "I'll see if I can get him to play with someone else on our trip today to give you some time to yourself," she whispered hurriedly.

"Hi Ms. Maryam!" Mituna greeted enthusiastically when he entered the bedroom he shared with his brother and two other boys.

"Good morning, Mituna," the woman responded and stood from the end of Sollux's bed. "Are you excited about going to the beach today?" she asked the child.

"Yes! I want to build a sandcastle," Mituna announced.

"That sounds like it will be very fun. When you and Sollux get your things ready make sure you go wait in the dining hall with everyone else," Ms. Maryam told the two boys. "I will see you two there."

"Alright," Sollux answered. He transferred his stuff on the bed into a backpack and zipped it up while Mituna could be heard rummaging for things to pack in his own bag. "Don't bring too much stuff, Tuna," Sollux warned as he turned around to sit on his bed to wait for his brother. "You'll end up losing something."

"I'm not going to lose anything," Mituna argued. He spoke with a slight lisp as well but it was mostly due to having lost both his front teeth the week before. Sollux knew he would be losing his soon as well and dreaded the day. He pushed his tongue against back of one of his front teeth experimentally and felt it give slightly. He immediately retracted his tongue, not wanting to make the tooth any looser. He figured he probably had until the next week before it would have to come out.

"Are you going to make a sandcastle with me?" Mituna asked while he shoved a few toys into his own backpack.

"I don't know. Maybe," Sollux responded noncommittally hoping that Ms. Maryam would hold true to her word and get the other boy off his back so he could spend some time in solitude at the beach. "Where's Tavros and Rufioh?" He asked.

"I haven't seen them since breakfast and their beds are made," Mituna answered. "Maybe they already got their stuff together and are waiting in the dining hall," he suggested.

"Yeah maybe," Sollux agreed. "You ready?"

"Yep!" Mituna chirped and pulled his backpack on. Sollux grabbed his own bag and pulled the straps over his shoulders then slid off his bed. He reached for the white cane that was propped against his bedside table and turned toward where he knew the door was.

"Alright let's get going then," Sollux said tapping the cane out on the floor in front of him as he walked. Mituna followed his brother out of the room and walked beside him toward the dining hall. He would offer to guide the other boy as he had many times before but Sollux's doctor had said that he needed to use the cane more to get better at handling it. He had only had it for just under a year. It didn't take long for the two boys to begin to hear the excited chatter of the rest of the kids gathered in the dining hall waiting for the bus to arrive.

"Oh! I see the Nitrams," Mituna told Sollux. "Ms. Maryam's here too."

"Alright kids," Ms. Maryam spoke over the din. "The bus has just pulled up out front so if you will follow me in an orderly manner we can begin loading up. Please do not stampede out of here like a bunch of wild wildebeests." There were a few snickers heard among the group of kids but otherwise they began following the woman in a semblance of order. They lined up at the door to the bus so they could climb on one by one and when everyone was seated Rosa took a quick head count then signaled to the driver to begin the trip before taking a seat behind him. Mituna pulled out two action figures from his backpack and handed one to Sollux convincing him to play along with him to pass the time until they got to their destination.

They arrived at the beach in what felt like no time at all and the bus parked and opened its door. Ms. Maryam stood from her seat and turned to address the bus full of children. "When we get off this bus you will follow me to the buildings where you can change into your swim suits. Once you have changed you will stand with me outside until everyone is present then we will set up an area on the beach. At noon we will get the coolers off the bus and eat lunch. We will be leaving by three o'clock. Does everyone understand? Any questions?" There was a chorus of "no" so Rosa turned to exit the bus.

The kids all scrambled to get out of their seats and into the center aisle. Mituna shoved his action figures back into his bag and remained seated with Sollux until they were they last ones in their seat and everyone else stood in the aisle. The line moved steadily as kids climbed down the stairs and hopped off the bus. "Alright Sollux, the coast is clear," Mituna said. Sollux grabbed his white cane and stood from his aisle seat to side step into the aisle. He felt for the tops of the seats as he used them to guide himself forward and Mituna followed closely behind. When he reached the last seat he turned slowly in the direction of the stairs and used his cane to feel where they were. He stepped carefully down the steps and was relieved when he tapped the cane in front of him and felt the ground. He took the last step out of the bus and as soon as Mituna was out Ms. Maryam began leading the group to the changing rooms.

Sollux tapped his cane out in front of him as he walked and he followed the sound of many footsteps nearby to lead him where he was going. Of course with Mituna right at his side it would have been difficult to get lost. He went into the men's changing room and got into his black and white checkered swim trunks and pulled a loose white shirt on even though he had no intention of going in the water. He and his brother rejoined Ms. Maryam outside the changing rooms where they waited for everyone else to be finished. Rosa placed a hand on Sollux's shoulder, which startled him at first, and gave him a reassuring squeeze. He knew that she had their conversation from earlier on her mind and felt relieved at the prospect of having some alone time.

With everyone present, Ms. Maryam led the group down to the beach where they set up blankets and umbrellas. "Alright kids," she said when all the setting up had been done, "go play and have fun. Be careful near the water."

"Sollux, make a sandcastle with me!" Mituna exclaimed and pulled his brother down the beach. "You stay here while I get the supplies," the boy said before running off to get a small bucket from the supply of toys that were brought from the orphanage for the kids to share. He grabbed a plastic cup from the toy pile as well then went down to the water. All the while Sollux stood in place wondering when Ms. Maryam was going to say something to his brother. She clearly hadn't forgotten about it. He could tell he was still near most of the other kids based on how close they sounded. He could hear the waves of the ocean too but he knew he wasn't very close to it.

"'Kay I'm back!" Mituna announced when he returned to the spot he had left his brother. "Sit down so we can build." Sollux reluctantly lowered himself to the sand and folded his cane up to set down beside him. "I'll make one side and you can make the other, okay?"

"Yeah sure," said Sollux.

"I got some water so we can make the sand more wet and buildable," Mituna explained and the next thing Sollux heard was the splash of water hitting the sand in front of him. "You can start now," Mituna said. Sollux reached out in front of him and felt the cold wet sand on his hands. He had no idea what to do and it kind of frustrated him. The other times he had been to the beach with his parents and Mituna in the past he was able to build sandcastles with ease. Now he couldn't see anything but darkness in front of him and he had no idea what his hands were forming. He tried his best to create something that looked slightly better than a blob of sand. His concentration was able to distract him from his other thoughts and before long the collaborative castle had reached completion.

"Wow that looks really wonderful you two," Ms. Maryam's voice came from above Sollux. "You are excellent sand castle architects."

"Thanks!" Mituna said happily.

"Tavros doesn't have anyone to play with right now. How about you go see what kind of sandcastles you can make with him, Mituna? I bet he would love to share his Pokemon toys with you too," she said.

"But I'm making sandcastles with Sollux," Mituna pouted. Sollux could hear the pout in his voice. Of course his brother wasn't going to leave his side without putting up a fight.

"Tavros doesn't have anyone to play with, Tuna. You don't want him to be sad do you?" Sollux added.

"Why aren't you going with me to play with him?" the boy questioned.

"Sollux has to go collect shells and things to decorate all the sandcastles with," Rosa supplied. "Right Sollux?"

"Uh, yeah," Sollux agreed. "I've got to go down the beach and find cool stuff to make our castles even more epic." He hadn't really planned on spending his time collecting shells but at least he would have some peace and quiet.

"Cool!" Mituna grinned in excitement. "I'll go build a huge fortress with Tavros and we'll even put a mote around it then we can make it super realistic with shells all over!" he fantasized.

"I'll take you over to Tavros so you can get started," Rosa said. "Be careful collecting shells, Sollux."

"I will," he smiled and reached for his cane in the sand beside him. He extended it out fully and stood up to begin tapping the sand around him and walking forward. As he walked he would occasionally tap something hard with the end of his cane and he'd lean down to pick it up. Most of the items he picked up felt like shells but some he was unsure of. Either way, he put his finds in his backpack for safekeeping.

Eventually Sollux realized that the sounds of the other kids had disappeared in the distance and the waves lapping up against the shore sounded much closer. He tapped his cane out as far as he could and when he tapped right he heard the splash of his cane hitting water. He stood still on the spot and just listened to the sounds around him and enjoyed the feeling of solitude. He heard a distinct splash mixed in with the sound of the waves and listened for any follow up noises. When he heard nothing else he let his guard back down. A moment or two later he heard the water splash again followed by silence aside the sound of the waves.

"Who's there?" he lisped. "Mituna? Did you follow me?" The young boy stayed quiet to listen for a response but heard none. He let out a breath and was about to move on when a voice he didn't recognize spoke up.

"Why do you have that white stick?"

"Who said that?" Sollux snapped his head in the direction of the voice and tensed his muscles getting ready to make a run for it.

"I did," the voice said. It sounded like another little boy. "Obviously. Can't you see me right in front of you?"

"No I can't," Sollux snapped angrily. "That's why I have this cane, stupid."

"You don't need to be rude about it," the voice said in a tone that sounded like it included an eye roll. "I've just never seen a human carry one of those before."

"'A human'?" Sollux questioned. "Who even talks like that? Are you saying you aren't human?"

"Wait, you don't know?" the boy sounded like he was piecing something together. "You can't see me." He almost sounded like he was grinning.

"Yeah I can't see you," Sollux repeated. "For all I know at this point I could be talking to a rock," he said sarcastically.

"Whatever," the boy said ignoring the question from earlier. "What are you doing out here alone if you can't see?"

"I'm collecting shells and stuff so my brother can decorate his sandcastles," Sollux answered. "I'm blind not brain dead. I can go wherever I want."

"I've never met someone that's blind before," the boy said.

"Me neither," Sollux replied honestly. "What's your name?"

"Eridan," the boy answered. "What's yours?"

"Sollux," the blind boy said. "Are you my age?"

"I don't know," Eridan shrugged. "How old are you?"

"Seven," said Sollux.

"Seven what?"

"Years. What else would it be?" Sollux questioned in confusion.

"Sweeps," Eridan answered. "I'm almost three and a half sweeps."

"And you're sure that you're human?" Sollux asked almost jokingly. Eridan fidgeted nervously and ignored the question again.

"You said you're lookin' for shells?" Eridan asked to change the subject. He had a strange accent that Sollux had never heard before.

"Yeah, I've just been finding them along the shoreline."

"I could get you some really awesome shells if you'd like," Eridan offered casually.

"Sure that'd be great," Sollux grinned. "That way I don't have to keep looking for them."

"Alright I'll be right back," Eridan said then Sollux heard a series of splashes. He decided to sit down on the sand while he waited for Eridan to return. He shrugged his backpack off and unzipped the main compartment to pull out his favorite little toy to play with in the meantime. It was a fat little plastic bumblebee that he had won from a prize machine a few months before. He really liked the way it fit in his hand because of how round it was and it had a pleasant smooth texture to its plastic body. The toy also had moveable wings that Sollux liked to fiddle with.

Water splashing close by made Sollux lift his head in the direction of the sound. "Eridan?" the boy asked just to be sure.

"I found you some really great stuff," Eridan announced. His tone suggested that he was pleased with himself.

"Great," Sollux grinned and moved to put his bee toy away.

"What's that?" Eridan asked when he saw the bright yellow plastic.

"This?" Sollux lisped and held his toy in what he assumed was better view. "This is my favorite figurine. He's a bee and he stings all the bad people."

"Really?" Eridan asked in wonder. "How does he know if people are bad?"

"Because bad people rob banks and jewelry stores," Sollux said simply. "Where are the shells?" he asked after he slipped the bee into his backpack.

"I have them in my bag," Eridan answered. "Come here and I'll give 'em to you." Sollux stood from the ground leaving his bag where he had been sitting and extended his white can to begin tapping the sand in front of him before moving forward.

"Where are you exactly?" Sollux asked uncertainly.

"I'm over here," came Eridan's voice and Sollux turned slightly to begin heading in that direction. It didn't take very long for his cane to start tapping water.

"You're in the water?" Sollux asked nervously.

"Well yeah, I thought you knew that," Eridan scoffed.

"How was I supposed to know if I can't see you?" Sollux snapped in frustration. "I'm not going in the water," he said stubbornly.

"Why not?" Eridan complained.

"Because I don't want to drown," the little boy said already beginning to retreat back to where he had left his bag.

"You won't drown," Eridan told him. "How am I goin' to give these shells to you then? Throw 'em at you?" he asked in annoyance.

"You could always just come out of the water and hand them to me. It's not that difficult to figure out," Sollux responded caustically. Eridan pursed his lips as he carefully contemplated his next move. He could just turn around and leave, no strings attached. He didn't really know this boy and he was blind anyways so it wasn't like he had seen him. There would be no harm done. In fact, all signs pointed to Eridan's best option being to turn around and just leave and pretend the encounter with this strange blind boy never happened. He watched as Sollux stood near the edge of the water waiting with his white cane clutched in his hand.

Against his better judgment Eridan heard himself saying, "Wait right there." He swam closer to the shore until his lower half brushed against the sand beneath the shallow water. He pulled himself closer to the shoreline with his webbed hands until only a few inches of water covered the light grey shark like tail that made up the lower half of his body. The child looked around nervously and wriggled his tail back and forth a few times to be certain that he wasn't going to get beached. Eridan had never been this close to the shore before. He was pretty sure that no one he knew had ever been this close either because of how dangerous it could be. He propped himself up with one arm. "This is as close as I can get. You're goin' to have to come in the water a bit to get your shells," Eridan told the other little boy.

"Why can't you just come all the way out of the water?" Sollux asked as he remained in place.

"My father told me not to leave the water," Eridan stated. It wasn't a complete lie. "Just get over here I won't let you drown." Eridan lifted a webbed hand out of the water and scratched at a spot behind one of his finned ears as he watched Sollux consider his next move. Anxiously, Sollux began tapping his cane out in front of himself and stepping forward. He knew the water was in front of him once he heard the splashes from his cane but still froze up when he felt the cool water on his toes.

"How much further are you?" Sollux tried to disguise his discomfort with annoyance.

"Not that much further," Eridan rolled his eyes. "You really don't like the ocean do you?"

"It's not that," Sollux lisped as he carefully continued forward. "I don't know how to swim." Eridan kept a wary eye on Sollux's cane as it got closer to him and managed to catch it in his hand before it made contact with his body. "Is that you?" Sollux asked in surprise.

"Yeah you were about to bludgeon me with your stick," Eridan snapped and kept the cane in his grasp.

"Oh whatever, I would have just tapped you with it" Sollux remarked.

"Who's to say that wouldn't have hurt me? Maybe I have sensitive skin," Eridan defended.

"Maybe you're over reacting," Sollux said. Eridan pulled a face then realized the other little boy couldn't see it. He looked at the cane in his hand and the boy on the other end of it and realized that he had never been so close to a human.

"Really, Sol? You're goin' to offend the one who said he wouldn't let you drown?" Eridan asked in a haughty tone. Sollux turned his head as he considered the nickname he was just given.

"Sol?" he questioned.

"Yeah, got a problem with it?" Eridan asked.

"Nope, no problem, ED," Sollux replied with a grin.

"ED?" Eridan repeated the name with distaste. Sollux stuck his tongue out and began pulling himself forward on his cane towards Eridan. The sea dwelling boy tensed as the human drew closer to him and held his breath when Sollux's hand made contact with his own on top of the cane.

"Hi, ED," Sollux said as he squeezed his hand on top of Eridan's gently. He was glad to feel corporeal evidence that the boy he had been talking to was actually real.

"Hey," Eridan responded quietly. He looked at Sollux now that he was closer to him. The boy had his eyes closed and a few light scars were visible near his eyelids and forehead. His dark brown hair stuck up at odd angles near the back of his head and he wore a goofy smile. "How come your eyes are closed?" Eridan asked innocently. Sollux frowned and his grip on Eridan's hand faltered.

"Because my eyes don't work anymore," Sollux answered. "They were weird anyway. At least now I don't have people making a big deal out of them and I don't get confused with my brother anymore," the boy pouted a bit.

"What do you mean?" Eridan probed.

"They're two different colors," Sollux explained. He made an effort to lift his eyelids, the muscles to do so having grown weak from disuse in the past year. He managed to get them open and Eridan flinched when he saw them. Sollux's right eye seemed to have been a dark brown while his right was a light blue, however, a milky white had settled over the centers of them from built up scar tissue. The whites of his eyes were more pink and red from angry blood vessels. Sollux closed his eyes again after a few moments.

"I'm sorry your eyes don't work, Sol," Eridan said after it had been silent between the two of them. "I think the two colors are pretty interestin'."

"Thanks," Sollux accepted the compliment feeling awkward. "Are you going to give me those shells?"

"Oh, right," Eridan remembered the reason he had this human standing in front of him and lifted the satchel he carried with him that was made from woven seaweed over his head. "Here just take my whole bag so you can carry 'em back easier," he said as he handed it over. Sollux reached out and took the bag when he felt it touch his fingers.

"What is this made out of?" Sollux asked pulling a face. "It feels slimy."

"It's, uh, made of seaweed," Eridan considered lying about it but decided against it when he realized someone else might see the bag and tell Sollux what it was actually made out of. He didn't think most humans probably made their bags out of seaweed if Sollux's backpack was anything to go by.

"Why seaweed?" the blind boy asked in surprise and reached inside the bag to feel the shells. Eridan wasn't sure how to answer the question and maintain the assumption that he was a regular human being.

"I don't know," Eridan shrugged. "My father gave it to me."

"That's weird," Sollux said. He pulled his cane out of Eridan's reach and was about to start heading back to the sand where he had left his belongings.

"Wait!" Eridan called out to him.

"What?" Sollux asked impatiently already anxious to get out of the water.

"Do you want to play or somethin'?" Eridan asked almost shyly.

"Will you come out of the water?" the blind boy questioned.

"No I can't," the boy from the sea answered.

"Why is your dad making you stay in there?"

"He, uh, said he'd be right back. He told me to wait here so he would know where to find me," Eridan lied pathetically.

"I'm sure he won't mind if you go out onto the sand. You'll still be right here," Sollux lisped. He reached out for Eridan's hand again, "Come on." He had planned on attempting to drag Eridan with him to the sand but his fingers brushed against the webbing between the other boy's fingers. He gasped and jerked his hand away as if burned. "What was that?' he yelped. Eridan swished his tail back and forth as he thought about his situation.

Sollux seemed harmless enough from what Eridan could tell. He was just a child much like Eridan himself. Could it have been possible that Eridan's father had been wrong about how dangerous land dwellers were? The sea dwelling boy sighed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me," Sollux challenged.

"Well for starters I'm not really a human," Eridan said.

"You're not?" Sollux asked in shock. "You have to be. There's no such thing as real aliens," he reasoned.

"Aliens?" Eridan asked in confusion. "I'm a sea dweller."

"A sea dweller?" Sollux echoed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You touched the webbin' on my hand a moment ago. I live in the ocean," Eridan explained.

"Like a mermaid?" Sollux asked curiously.

"I don't know," Eridan huffed. "Do humans even know that there is an advanced race livin' under the sea? We aren't supposed to make contact with land dwellers. I'm not even supposed to be talkin' to you," the boy leaned his head in his hand propped up by his elbow on the sand in the shallow water.

"Do you have a fish tail and everything?" the blind boy asked in interest. Eridan waved his tail back and forth at the mention of it.

"Yes I do," he answered matter-of-factly.

"Let me touch it," Sollux demanded. Eridan lifted his head from his hand and furrowed his brow.

"Excuse you, but I don't make a habit of lettin' commoners touch me. You've got to be even worse than a commoner because you're a human," the finned boy said arrogantly.

"If I don't feel it for myself how am I supposed to believe you? Mermaids aren't real," the blind boy argued.

"Well maybe it's best if you don't believe me," Eridan retorted. "Seein' as how I shouldn't be talkin' to you anyways."

"I won't tell anyone, ED. That is, if you are telling the truth," Sollux bargained.

"Of course I'm tellin' the truth!" Eridan shouted defensively.

"I don't know you aren't giving me much evidence. It sounds a bit," Sollux grinned, "fishy." The boy laughed at his own joke.

"That doesn't even make any sense," Eridan fumed. "How can somethin' sound like fish?"

"I don't know," Sollux shrugged. "It's just what people say."

"Fine! You don't think I'm bein' serious? Have it your way and touch my tail," the boy from the sea said angrily and splashed his tailfin behind him. Sollux had a satisfied smirk on his face as he took small steps back over in Eridan's direction. "You're goin' to have to get wet," Eridan said. The blind boy's face changed to a look of concentration as he felt the ocean water fully cover his feet.

"So since you're a mermaid apparently you should be able to help me if I start drowning right?" Sollux asked trying to sound less nervous than he was.

"I don't know, if you keep bein' rude to me I might just let you drown. It'd be one less human to have to worry about," Eridan replied stubbornly. "Though I would be impressed if you actually managed to drown in water this shallow," he added. Sollux tapped Eridan in the side with his cane when he got close enough.

"Is that you?" he asked.

"Yes and watch where you're wavin' that thing," the finned boy complained. "You might wanna get down in the water to be on my level. I'm not standin' ya' know." Sollux gripped his cane anxiously at the thought of sitting in the water, but Eridan was right about it being very shallow. He held onto his cane as he lowered himself into the water then folded his cane up to make it easier to hold onto. He tentatively reached his hand forward seeking out the other boy and Eridan watched with apprehension. This was his last chance to back out and not reveal himself. Something kept him rooted firmly in place no matter how much he tried to tell himself to go.

Sollux's fingers made contact with the other boy's wet shoulder. He inhaled sharply as Eridan rolled over to sit as upright as he could in the shallow water and took Sollux's hand to guide it down to the less human like portion of his body. The blind boy felt his hand come to a rest on an oddly rough feeling surface. He moved his hand carefully and felt his fingers brush over Eridan's violet colored pelvic fins and followed the length of the tail down to the caudal fin. Eridan sounded like he was trying hard to restrain laughter.

"What's so funny?" Sollux lisped defensively and yanked his hand away from the tail. "Are you pulling a prank on me?" he accused.

"No," Eridan's giggling ceased. "It just tickles."

"So that was actually you?" Sollux asked in shock. He reached out a hand again to touch the sandpapery skin and purposely moved in a way meant to tickle. Eridan erupted in a fit of laughter and thrashed around splashing Sollux with ocean water. Sollux just grinned at his new friend's reaction and continued to tickle him until a sound caught his attention. He stopped what he was doing and listened out for the sound again. Eridan looked at him in confusion.

"What are you-"

"Shh!" Sollux shushed and heard the sound again.

"Sollux!" came Mituna's voice faintly from the distance.

"I have to go," the blind boy said suddenly. "My brother's looking for me. You should go too before he sees you."

"Will you come back?" Eridan asked.

"I don't think I can today because Mituna never leaves me alone," Sollux answered with disappointment evident in his voice.

"Oh," Eridan said trying not to sound too let down. "Maybe another day?"

"It depends on if we have another beach day this summer. I'll try to get everyone to vote on coming here," Sollux explained hurriedly.

"Sollux!" Mituna's voice was getting closer.

"I'll try to find you if we come back and we can play if you want," Sollux said.

"Yeah that sounds good," Eridan said with a grin. "See ya' later, Sol." The sea dwelling boy began pushing himself back into deeper water to swim back home as Sollux held his new seaweed bag in one hand and his cane in the other. The dorsal fin on Eridan's lower back had just disappeared under the surface of the water when Mituna finally spotted Sollux and ran over to him.

"What's taking you so long?" Mituna asked and went into the water to guide Sollux back to shore. "What are you holding?"

"It's just something I found to put shells in," Sollux answered as his brother walked him back to his belongings.

"Well it's lunch time now so we can decorate the castle after that," Mituna said. "You missed the entire building part of it." Sollux grabbed his bag and halfway listened to his brother's ramblings as they walked back to where everyone else was. Most of his thoughts were excitedly racing as he thought about the new friend he'd just met as well as his important discovery- mermaids were real.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where have you been? The king has been looking for you," Eridan's guard, Equius, chastised him as soon as he was close enough for words to be exchanged.

"You mean you were lookin' for me because Father can never be bothered to leave the palace," Eridan sighed.

"His Majesty is a busy man and has entrusted me to keep you safe. How can I do that if you keep swimming off and not telling me where you're going?" Equius rumbled in his deep voice. The guard was still just a teenager but his father had been in charge of palace security for many sweeps. Eridan remained silent as he swam with the shark-tailed teen toward the enormous underwater palace that was just ahead.

As the two boys got closer to the imposing castle built mostly of stone other sea dwellers bowed their heads out of respect for the young prince. Eridan acknowledged the subjects of his kingdom before swimming inside. "I think I can go see my father on my own, Eq," the child informed his guard stubbornly.

"As you wish," Equius conceded with a slight bow. Eridan swam off to the strategy block where his father spent a large portion of his time keeping tabs on his kingdom's military as well as what was happening with the other kingdoms in different seas. The young sea dweller entered the block silently and found the king scowling at the map pinned to the wall that charted the whereabouts of the four other kingdoms. The two long, thin scars that ran diagonally across his face looked more gnarled with his grimace.

"You wanted to see me Father?" Eridan spoke up tentatively. The king turned his attention to his son.

"Come here lad, I wanna show you somethin'," King Dualscar gestured for the child to come closer. Eridan swam up beside his father who continued glaring at the map before finally pointing to a particular pinpoint. "There's somethin' brewin' in the South Sea. I just know it," Dualscar said slowly.

"With the Serkets?" Eridan asked apprehensively. He felt slightly intimidated being in his father's presence.

"Aye," Dualscar confirmed turning away from the map to face the child. "They're always up to somethin'. You can't trust a Serket, remember that boy," he said bitterly. "I'm goin' to have to figure somethin' out. Gotta be prepared for when they try to take the kingdom. Ain't no ifs about it. They will try."

"The Serkets are goin' to attack us?" Eridan asked feeling fear grip at his blood pusher.

"They're goin' to do somethin'," Dualscar growled. "That's why I want you to be prepared, my boy." The king swam casually over to his desk as he spoke. "I believe you're old enough now to begin learnin' what it takes to be a soldier. I'm goin' to put you through the trainin' necessary to be able to help defend our kingdom." Eridan inhaled sharply as his father looked him straight in the eye with a calculating glint. "Understand?"

"Yes, sir," the young sea dweller responded.

"Good," Dualscar flipped a page on his desk to look it over. "You will begin tomorrow. That is all, lad," he said dismissively. Eridan exited the block feeling uneasy. He made it to his personal chambers of the palace where he curled up on his pile of kelp. He wished he had someone he could talk to about the things his father said but there weren't any other sea dwellers his age in the palace. He was just a job to Equius so that was out of the question and the teenager spent most of his time talking to his friend, Nepeta, anyways. The closest thing Eridan had to a friend was the human he had met earlier that day, Sollux. Eridan smiled at the thought and fell asleep hoping that he would be able to see Sollux again.

The training was brutal. Eridan spent most of his days learning the basics of hand-to-hand combat and weapon handling. There were a few days that he had off from training and he would always steal away to the surface for as long as he could in hopes of seeing Sollux again. An entire moon cycle had gone by when Eridan returned to the surface one day to wait around for any sign of his friend. He was nearly startled when he suddenly heard an out of breath voice calling his name. He excitedly pushed off from the rock he had been resting on and swam into the shallow water near the shore. There stood Sollux on the beach grasping his white cane in one hand and the ocean breeze rustling his already messy dark brown hair.

"Eridan!" Sollux called out toward the ocean unaware that the sea dweller was already approaching.

"Sol!" Eridan exclaimed when he was finally close enough to the shore that he could be heard.

"Eridan?" Sollux asked turning his head in the direction the sound of the voice had come from.

"Took ya' long enough to come back," Eridan complained as he pulled himself through the sandy shallow water to be closer to the shore.

"It's not easy getting everyone to agree to come here," Sollux lisped defensively. "We only get so many trips over the summer," he scowled. "I'm here now, so there," he stuck his tongue out at the sea dweller.

"What do you mean by so many trips?" Eridan questioned.

"Summer doesn't last forever and they can only afford to take us out a few times before school starts again," Sollux explained. "I might only get to come back one more time this summer. If I can't come back after today I'll have to wait until spring break or something to see you again."

"Oh," Eridan said in disappointment.

"You wanna play or not?" Sollux asked impatiently.

"I was thinking about how you can't come out of the water all the way," the blind boy said as he shrugged his backpack off from his shoulders and unzipped it to dig around inside. He pulled out a rubber ball that fit right inside his hand. "I could throw this out into the water and you can see how fast you can find it and bring it back. I'll time you."

"A swimmin' challenge?" Eridan grinned exposing his shark like teeth. "You're on, human."

"Let's see how good that fish tail of yours really is," Sollux grinned too. He set his backpack down on the sand beside him and tapped his cane out in front of him to guide himself closer to the water lapping at the shore. When he heard the cane splash he stopped moving and brought his cane closer to his body to lean it against himself. "Ready?" he asked tensing his arm in preparation of throwing the ball.

"Of course I'm ready,' Eridan answered already bracing himself to move quickly once the ball was thrown.

"Alright. Go!" Sollux shouted and threw the ball as hard as he could in the direction of the ocean. Eridan watched its direction of travel then pushed himself out of the shallow water as fast as he could to go after it. Sollux had begun counting as soon as the ball had left his hand and he heard Eridan thrashing through the water as he went after it. The splashes became more distant before growing louder again and suddenly he felt the wet ball hit him softly in the shin.

"How'd I do?" Eridan demanded while he got comfortable in the shallow water again.

"Twenty seconds," Sollux said sounding astounded.

"I'd probably do better if I didn't have to come up so far in the sand here," Eridan complained.

"That just makes it more challenging," Sollux said bending down to pick up the ball. "Ready to go again?"

The two boys kept up their game of fetch until Eridan got bored with it. Sollux was awestruck with how fast the sea dweller boy was able to retrieve the ball. His best time was nine seconds.

"What other ideas have you got?" Eridan asked leaning heavily on his elbows in the soft sand.

"We could play action figures," Sollux suggested.

"What's that?"

"Hold on I'll show you," Sollux gripped his cane again and used it to guide himself back to his book bag. He kneeled down to search through it and brought out his favorite plastic bee figure as well as one of his super hero figures. He wasn't really sure which one he had grabbed that morning when he was shoving things into his bag. He ran his fingers over the entire surface of the toy trying to feel what pose it was in and if it had any accessories with it. The figure didn't feel like it was holding anything and most of its details were smooth. It felt like its hand was posed in some sort of way but he couldn't quite figure it out. He stood and decided to leave his cane on the sand by his bag. Turning toward the sound of the ocean he took small steps forward. Eridan watched as his friend attempted to return to where he was now sitting up as best he could in the water.

"Turn this way a little," Eridan called out when Sollux had started veering off course slightly. Sollux felt relieved when his feet touched the water and he could hear Eridan's voice just in front of him. He got a little nervous when the water began reaching just above his ankles but then he felt Eridan's clammy webbed hand reach out and touch his shin. He sat down in the shallow water and handed Eridan the super hero figure.

"I think that's either Spiderman or Captain America," Sollux explained once Eridan had taken the toy. The sea dweller inspected the little plastic man in his hand with interest.

"What do I do with him?" Eridan asked. Sollux held his bee out and grinned.

"We could pretend he's a bad guy and my bee comes to stop him."

"Alright," Eridan thought for a moment about what would make someone a bad guy that needed to be stopped. He moved the figure around as if to make him speak. "I'm goin' to kidnap a wriggler and leave him bleedin' out so that he'll attract the sharks and everyone will have to fight them off to save him."

"What's a wriggler?" Sollux asked in confusion.

"Oh you know, someone that's a bit younger than us," Eridan explained.

"Like a baby?" Sollux asked in alarm.

"Yeah sure," Eridan replied nonchalantly. Sollux thought that seemed like a pretty grotesque thing to do to a baby while Eridan seemed rather unfazed by it. He supposed there might be more than just physical differences between the two of them.

"Alright," Sollux said uncertainly before playing along. "Let go of that baby, evil doer!" Sollux spoke for his bee. The two boys played for quite awhile until Sollux heard a woman calling his name.

"That's Ms. Maryam," Sollux gasped in shock. "Quick! Go back in the water," he panicked. Eridan shoved the toy back at Sollux so that he would take it and pushed himself further back in the water.

"I hope I get to see you again, Sol," Eridan said while he retreated.

"Me too," Sollux told him. He knew there was no way he would be able to get back to his bag in time before Ms. Maryam go to him. It didn't take long for him to stop hearing the water splashing in front of him and he hoped his friend had gotten away in time before Ms. Maryam saw him.

"Sollux! I've been worried sick!" Rosa scolded once she had gotten close enough to him. 'It is well passed time to get back on the bus and Mituna didn't see which way you had gone when you left."

"Sorry Ms. Maryam," he lisped in apology. The woman noticed the two toys in his hands and couldn't help but smile in relief that Sollux had only been playing instead of something worse happening to him.

"Come on now," she took his hand and guided him back to his belongings. She put his toys back in his bag and zipped it up before helping him put it on his back then she handed him his cane. He was so worried that she had seen Eridan he didn't even get mad at her for helping him more than was necessary. She never said anything about it on the way back.

As soon as he was seated next to his brother on the bus he was enveloped in a tight hug with Mituna sobbing in his ear. "Where were you?" Mituna asked worriedly.

"Relax, Tuna. I didn't die I was just playing by myself," Sollux muttered.

"But what if you did die? Then I would be all alone," Mituna continued crying.

"I'm not going to die," Sollux said quietly with a sinking feeling in his stomach at his brother's words. He realized that he couldn't promise that he wouldn't die just like no one could have promised that their parent's wouldn't die either. All they had was each other.


	3. Chapter 3

Summer faded into fall and all of the children at the orphanage began a new school year. Sollux and Mituna as well as their roommate Tavros were now in the second grade. It wasn't too long after the school year started that Mituna began having seizures. The doctor said that it was caused by the brain damage he had suffered from the car accident the previous year. By the time Christmas break had arrived the medication had mostly gotten the seizures under control.

Sollux worried about his brother often, but between school and Mituna he never stopped thinking about the friend he had made at the beach over the summer. He wondered if the ocean got colder during the winter. It never got very cold on land where he lived- if anything it was less humid during the winter.

"What are you thinking about Sollux?" Ms. Maryam asked.

"What?" he startled out of his reverie. He hadn't heard the caretaker walk up to him.

"You looked like you were in deep thought," she said.

"I was just thinking about the beach," he admitted honestly.

"You seem to have really taken a liking to going there. I'm sorry we couldn't go on our last summer trip. The other children really wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese." Rosa grimaced at the memory of when she and another caretaker had chaperoned the group of twenty kids at the pizza eatery playground. Visions of kids hopped up on adrenaline and sugary soda running around like feral animals popped into her head all to the soundtrack of a talking animatronic rat. She shivered slightly.

"I know," Sollux sighed. "I had fun there it just wasn't the same."

"Don't be so glum," Rosa patted the little boy's shoulder comfortingly. "The beach will always be there. Why don't you go join your brother in the play room?" she suggested.

"I guess," Sollux said in defeat. "I'll be there in just a minute. I'm going to go to the bathroom first."

"Alright dear, I'll see you at supper," the woman told him then exited his room. Sollux tapped his way to the bathroom that adjoined his bedroom using his white cane. Once he had finished his business he started toward where he knew the playroom was but paused when he heard voices.

"What about that little boy in the corner with the scruffy hair?" a woman's voice asked.

"I don't recall seeing his file in the ones you gave us to look over," a man chimed in.

"Oh that's Mituna," answered another woman. Sollux recognized her voice as one of the other caregivers at the orphanage. He couldn't tell how close he was to the small group of people so he held as still and quiet as possible to avoid detection. "His file wouldn't have been in the ones we gave you to review but he is certainly available for adoption!"

"What can you tell us about him? Why wasn't his file with the others?" the unfamiliar woman asked.

"The two of you were looking for a single adoption right?" the caregiver questioned.

"Yes that's right," the man answered.

"Ah, the thing is that Mituna has a twin brother and we must adopt them together. Is that something you would be interested in doing?" the caregiver asked.

"Twins!" the woman repeated in delight. "We may be interested in exploring the possibility. What do you think, dear?"

"We never considered it before but it is definitely something to think about," the man responded. Sollux felt his heart begin to race and continued to silently listen.

"I'm very glad to hear that!" the caregiver sounded excited. "Those two boys are so sweet. Of course I must let you know that they are both special needs children."

"Special needs? How?" the woman asked. Sollux quickly picked up on her change of tone but the caregiver didn't seem to notice.

"Mituna has slight brain damage and is on medication for seizures and his brother, Sollux, is blind. They were involved in a terrible car accident about a year ago that took their parents from them," the caregiver explained.

"Oh," the woman said awkwardly. There was a bit of a pause and then she said, "You know I'm not sure that two children will have enough space in our house. Maybe it's best if we just go with one."

"Very well then," the caregiver said sounding disappointed. "If you'll come this way please." Sollux heard their footsteps getting further away and felt his heart drop into his stomach. He had no desire to attempt to play with his brother anymore. He turned back around and navigated his way back to his room. His roommate Tavros tried to ask what was wrong but he curled up on his bed and did his best to shut the world out until he managed to go to sleep.

One day in late Spring Sollux and Mituna stepped off the school bus to find Ms. Maryam waiting for them. "How was school today, boys?" she asked warmly.

"It was okay," the twins answered simultaneously in a bored tone.

"Come with me," she said taking their hands in her own. "There's someone I would like you to meet." She began leading the two boys into the orphanage towards one of the offices.

"Are we in trouble?" Mituna asked apprehensively once he saw where they were headed.

"Not at all dear," Rosa laughed and let go of the shaggy haired boy's hand in order to push the door open. She guided the children inside the room where two mean were seated across from a medium sized coffee table that held magazines and pamphlets. One of the men had an athletic build with dark brown hair and a relaxed, friendly demeanor. The other man looked to be a bit taller with black hair and sharper features. Mituna eyed the men curiously as he took a seat on the other side of the coffee table as directed by Ms. Maryam. Sollux found his seat beside Mituna but remained quiet as he listened intently for a cue as to what was going on. The two boys sat their backpacks on the floor and waited to be told what would happen next.

"Mituna, Sollux, I want to introduce you to Craig and Stan. If it's okay with you two, they would like to take you home with them," Rosa told the children with barely contained glee. The boys were visibly excited as Mituna looked at the men more interestedly and Sollux's lips turned up into a small smile.

"Really?" Mituna asked.

"Really," answered the brunette man. After a good hour of talking the papers were signed and the boys were sent to their room to gather their belongings. They had a tearful goodbye with the Nitrams and then were loading up into the car with their new guardians.

"I wish you boys the best of luck," Ms. Maryam said to them once they were buckled up in the backseat. She had tears threatening to spill over in her eyes but successfully kept her composure.

"I'm going to miss you Ms. Maryam," Sollux lisped out sadly.

"Can you come with us?" Mituna begged. The woman let out a small chuckle and discretely wiped he corner of her eye.

"If I go with you who will take care of Rufioh, Tavros, and all the other children? Stan and Craig will take very good care of you," she assured them. "Farewell boys." With that she nodded to Craig who sat in the driver's seat and turned to go back into the orphanage.

"You guys ready to see your new home?" Craig asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Yeah, the twins answered in unison sounding less than enthusiastic.

"I know it must be hard leaving all your friends behind," Stan said sympathetically. "I really think you're going to like your new home." The boys remained mostly silent for the car ride and Mituna reached over to grasp Sollux's hand. Sollux actually appreciated the contact because it reassured him of the presence of his twin in the unfamiliarity that surrounded him. Eventually Stan spoke up again.

"We're here," he announced to the children excitedly. "Craig and I will get your suitcases since you didn't have much." He and Craig got out of the car and Craig opened the door for Mituna to slide out while Stan got the door for Sollux.

"I smell the ocean!" Sollux exclaimed enthusiastically as soon as he stepped out of the car.

"That's because the ocean is in our backyard, kiddo," Craig said as he opened the trunk to get the suitcases. "We live right on the beach."

"I have to go there!" Sollux felt more excited than he had in months. He attempted to take off running in the direction he though the ocean would be in but was halted by Stan.

"Hold on there little dude, we've got to get you inside to get you all set up. You can check out the beach after dinner, how's that sound?" Stan said.

"Fine," Sollux sighed. He really couldn't care less about unpacking his tiny suitcase when the possibility of visiting Eridan was just in the backyard. He didn't want to make his new guardians mad at him on the first day either so he begrudgingly walked with them to the house. Mituna held onto his hand once again to help guide him. Their footsteps clunked up two wooden steps then across a wooden porch. The unloading sound of a screen door spring came next followed by the sound of jingling keys being jammed into a lock. Sollux inhaled the salty smell coming off the light breeze and listened to the sound of waves that were a short distance away. The sound of a door handle being twisted let him know it had been unlocked and Mituna guided him over the threshold onto what felt and sounded like a wooden floor.

"We were thinking you could each have your own room if that is okay with you guys," Stan said while Craig unloaded his pockets onto the kitchen counter. Mituna's hand tightened around Sollux's and he looked almost offended.

"We've always shared a room," the child said defiantly. Craig quirked an eyebrow at the behavior and came around from behind the kitchen counter.

"You don't have to have separate rooms. We just thought we'd offer. Might be nice to have the privacy," Craig explained.

"I would like to have my own room," Sollux said quietly. Mituna threw his hand away as if it had burned him and he turned to his twin.

"Why do you want to leave me?" Mituna shouted. Sollux frowned at his brother's accusation.

"I'm not leaving you, stupid. We've been sharing a room since we were born. You're always around me. You never leave me alone!" Sollux found himself saying.

"Alright boys," Stan attempted to interject awkwardly.

"Why don't you love me anymore? What did I do to make you hate me?" Mituna sobbed. His face turned red as he began to cry and Stan swooped in to pull him aside and sit with him on the couch. Craig stood by Sollux just in case he was needed. Sollux moved his body in the direction of the sounds coming from his brother.

"I don't hate you," the blind boy defended. "I just feel like your suffocating me."

"Maybe you two could just try having separate rooms," Stan suggested while comforting Mituna. "If it doesn't seem to be working then you can go back to sharing a room. Would that be okay, Mituna?" The young boy wiped the tears off his face and nodded. "Good!" Stan said brightly and gave Mituna's shoulder a squeeze. He gave Craig a look of relief at having averted their first crisis with the kids and he stood from the couch. "Your room will be upstairs. I'll take you to it." He proceeded to guide Mituna towards the stairs and grabbed the little boy's suitcase on the way.

"We though it would be easier if we had you stay in the room downstairs," Craig said to Sollux. He had a monotonous, nasally sounding voice that gave Sollux the impression that Craig was a bit more on the serious side than his partner.

"That's okay," Sollux lisped in response.

"Do you think you would be okay with an upstairs room if things don't work out by yourselves?" the man asked. He sounded almost hesitant to ask, like he was afraid of offending the young boy.

"As long as I know where the stairs are I should be fine," Sollux grinned in amusement.

"Noted," Craig nodded then picked up the remaining suitcase. "Do you need me to guide you or…?"

"I could use my cane but since I'm basically following you anyways you might as well just guide me," Sollux said then reached out to where he had figured Craig would be based on how close his voice sounded. He held onto his new guardian's arm as he was led from the living room into a short hall that had only three doors.

"We're going in the door on the left side of the hall," Craig told the boy. "Across from your room is a bathroom and at the end of the hall is a closet for towels and sheets." Craig opened the bedroom door and led Sollux inside. "I'm going to put your suitcase on the bed," he said before actually doing so. "I'll let you unpack. Let me know if you need anything."

"Actually, I'm kind of hungry," Sollux admitted.

"Stan said we're ordering pizza tonight since it's your first night," Craig said. He watched as Sollux carefully went around the room feeling everything he encountered.

"That sounds great," Sollux smiled. He paused from his exploration for a moment. "When can I go outside to the ocean?"

"Just focus on unpacking first. You'll have plenty of time to play outside later," Craig answered and retreated back to the door. "Anything else?"

"Nah, you can go now," Sollux said and went back to touching everything in the room. Craig lingered a moment longer in the doorway then decided it would be best to let the little boy get settled in on his own. Sollux tried his best to unpack his belongings which consisted of a few changes of clothing and several small trinkets and toys. Nearly an hour had gone by when he heard the doorbell ring followed by Stan's voice called them to dinner. Sollux grabbed his cane and tried to remember how to get back to the living room of the house from his bedroom. The wafting smell of hot pizza helped him find it a little easier.

Mituna came barreling down the stairs in his excitement and nearly ran to the kitchen before Stan stopped him. "No running in the house Mituna," the dark haired man reprimanded. Mituna slowed down begrudgingly and walked the rest of the way to the kitchen. "Sollux, did you find your way back okay?" Stan asked when he saw the blind boy in the room.

"Yes," Sollux lisped. "I'm fine." Truthfully he had found it a bit confusing but he would never admit it out loud. "After I eat can I go outside?"

"That's okay with me," Stan told him. He took plates out of the cupboard to stack beside the pizza boxes and stepped aside so the children could help themselves first. Mituna loaded his plate up with four slices while Sollux only took one piece.

"You need to eat more than that Sollux," Craig told him when he saw Sollux's plate. Sollux groaned and took two more slices. Excitement and anticipation buzzed through Sollux's veins as he sat at the table trying to force himself to heat his dinner. He felt too restless to eat but there was no way he could explain that to Craig and Stan. As luck would have it, one of Mituna's favorite shows came on just as they finished eating so Sollux would be able to go down to the beach alone. He shoved his last bite into his mouth and hurriedly took his cane as he jumped up from the table.

"Don't go in the water," Stan warned. "I'll call you in when it starts getting too dark." As much as Sollux wanted to run outside he had to take it slow. Not only because there was no running in the house, but because he didn't really know where he was going. Craig led him to the back door in the kitchen but he was on his own after that. The door closed behind him and his ears were immediately met with the sound of waves relatively nearby. He tapped his cane out on the back porch and discovered there were some steps leading down. He descended them carefully and his cane met with sand at the bottom.

Sollux followed the sound of the waves rolling into the shore until the texture of the sand changed and he felt his cane hitting the water. He stopped in his tracks and grinned excitedly. "Eridan!" he shouted out to the water. He kept calling for his friend periodically as he stood by the edge of the water waiting. He stood until he was tired of standing and then sat. His excitement dwindled and his calls became feebler sounding.

"Sollux!" Stan's voice called from a distance. "Time to come in!" The child stood up heavy with disappointment.

"He doesn't know that I'm here," the boy said aloud when the realization finally struck him. He felt like crying but held himself together as he trudged back up to the house.

"Did you have fun?" Stan asked when Sollux stepped back into the house.

"Yeah, tons," Sollux lied.

"Good," Stan grinned and put a hand on the child's shoulder. "Now you and Mituna need to go take your showers and get ready for bed. Do you need help?" Sollux nodded and Stan went with him into the bathroom to demonstrate for him how to operate the knobs for the shower water. Later that night as Sollux lay in bed he thought of ways he cold signal to Eridan that he was in a different location now. He fell asleep and dreamt of mermaids and his shark-finned friend swimming around in the open ocean alongside giant whales.

The Amporas were gathered around a table with most of the higher members of their court to share a meal when suddenly a guard entered the chamber hastily.

"Lord Ampora, forgive my intrusion but there has been an incident," the guard said breathlessly.

"Well? Out with it then!" the king barked out.

"A member of the guard has killed himself with his own weapon while on watch." The room was deathly silent as the news sank in.

"Looks like the Marquis has arrived," Dualscar said in a gruff tone.


	4. Chapter 4

"Go away I don't want to practice with you today," Eridan said obstinately and turned to swim away.

"I'm afraid I can't let you go, Your Highness," Equius responded with as much firmness as he could muster when speaking to the Prince of the Atlantic. Eridan turned back around and glared at his guard-turned-combat instructor. Equius grew nervous under Eridan's stern gaze despite the Prince being an eight year old child and the guard being nearly a decade older.

"I would much rather do anythin' else," Eridan crossed his arms over his chest.

"The King has ordered me to instruct you in the ways of combat therefore it is my duty to not let you leave here until your spear handling has improved," Equius held his ground. Eridan tried to maintain his defiant stance but soon realized that his only other choice was to face the wrath of his father for disobeying. That was one bite he was hoping to avoid. He dropped his arms loosely to his sides and dejectedly swam over to pick up a spear.

"Fine. Let's get this over with," the small Prince grumbled and took his stance as Equius readied his own spear. The two were motionless for a few beats before Equius made the first strike. Eridan countered just barely and within seconds his spear was knocked from his hands and Equius was at his throat, his mangled teeth poised to bite.

"You would be dead, Your Highness," the guard stated. He backed up and allowed Eridan to retrieve his weapon. Equius struck again and Eridan countered successfully then dodged another jab but was caught off guard by the teen's caudal fin slamming into his side. He was sent hurtling a few feet away but when he regained his senses he charged angrily towards the guard.

"Never let your emotions get the better of you while in battle," Equius told the Prince while easily dodging the attack. "It decreases your accuracy." Eridan glanced at the other sea dweller, breathing heavily from exertion.

"So I'm just supposed to be okay with you practically knockin' me all the way to the Southern Kingdom?" the child spat.

"No, Prince Eridan," Equius said calmly. "I expect you to learn combat, become skilled, and knock me all the way to the Southern Kingdom." He positioned himself into a fighting stance. "Again," he prompted.

Most days Eridan spent hours with various tutors learning basic schoolfeeding in addition to all there was to know about the politics of all five of the kingdoms. He learned the lineages of the royal families and the various cultural differences between each kingdom. For example, never refuse food given to you in the Indian Kingdom. Also, in the Pacific Kingdom it is common to hear puns relating to the ocean being used in speech. Whenever he wasn't being tutored as a typical child would his guard was tutoring him in combat. Eridan found that he had very little time to himself.

There was word of two more guards killing themselves over the course of just one week. One night at dinner Eridan seemed to be playing with his food more than actually eating it.

"Somethin' on your mind, chief?" Eridan looked across the table at his cousin, Cronus, who had spoken and he shrugged. "Well it's gotta be somethin' because I know for a fact you love tuna and I ain't even seen you take a bite," Cronus said. Eridan groaned and took a bite of the piece of fish in front of him. He made a point of maintaining eye contact with his older cousin as he chewed exaggeratedly.

"Are you happy now?" Eridan questioned with his mouth full.

"Yeesh, what's gnawing on your fins?" Cronus huffed and took a bite of his own meal.

"I'm just sick of havin' all these fightin' lessons," Eridan complained. "I just want to be left alone. None of the other pups around the kingdom are learnin' how to fight." He took another small bite of food. "It's not fair," he sulked.

"Well you'd better get used to life not bein' fair," Cronus retorted. "Besides," the elder Ampora leaned forward a bit more. "Uncle Dualscar wants you to learn how to defend yourself when the Serkets attack. Not everyone in the Atlantic knows what we know about our impendin' visitors, you see?" he said quietly. "If you are to be expected to rule the Atlantic one day you've got to know more than your average pup. While they're out playin' with bubbles you are here learnin' to be King."

"What if I don't want to be King?" Eridan challenged. Cronus barked out a laugh and leaned back into a more relaxed position.

"You're only three sweeps old," Cronus said with a toothy grin, "you don't know what you want yet."

Sollux and Mituna sat at the kitchen table eating their breakfast in silence. Stan sat with them glancing between the two while having his own bowl of cereal. "How is school going?" he asked breaking the silence in the room.

"Okay," Mituna mumbled.

"Stupid," Sollux lisped. Stan was surprised by the answer.

"Why is it stupid Sollux?"

"Because," the boy sighed heavily while using his spoon to stir the bits of cereal around his bowl, "most of the day I have to be in a different class learning different stuff because I can't see. I hate trying to read Braille it's stupid."

"You'll get the hang of it," Stan assured him. "It just takes time."

"I even have to have different books than everyone else because I can't read," Sollux continued.

"You can read, Sollux. You just read in a different way. That's why you're learning Braille," Stan corrected gently.

"You're not our dad and neither is Craig," Mituna suddenly spoke up. A heavy silence fell over the table as Stan looked at the frowning child who stared straight back at him.

"I know we aren't your parents," Stan addressed both boys. "But we care about the two of you and we are going to feed you, clothe you, and raise you as if you were our own because we want to give you a good life."

"You don't even know us," Mituna argued. "Why do you care about us?"

"We love children," Stan answered. "We care about you as children. You are right Mituna. Craig and I don't know the two of you very well, but we hope that over time you will warm up to us and we will learn about each other."

"I still miss Mom and Dad," Sollux added quietly. Stan was at a loss as he looked at the two broken boys at his table. He placed a hand on Sollux's arm for assurance and for good measure reached out his other hand to Mituna's arm.

"If you two ever want to talk about your parents Craig and I are more than happy to listen. Even if it seems silly," Stan said gently. "Now go finish getting ready for school before you're late."

"I want to be in the same class as Sollux," Mituna whined.

"Usually schools don't put siblings together in the same class, Mituna," Stan told him. Sollux scoffed and left the table to go brush his teeth. "You see Sollux before and after school. Isn't that enough?"

"No," Mituna answered irritably.

"Well how often would you like to see him? You can't be around each other all the time," Stan reasoned.

"Yes we can," Mituna huffed and stormed away from the table to retreat upstairs.

"No running in the house!" Stan called after him. He stood from his own seat and began clearing the dishes away. When he finished he picked up his wallet, keys, and phone in preparation for walking to the door. "Hurry up!" he called into the house. He unlocked his phone and noticed a text from Craig asking how his morning was going with the kids. He typed out a response saying that everything was fine. As an after thought he added that perhaps they should take Mituna to a counselor about his overly attached behavior towards Sollux. The two boys returned to the living room just as Stan was sliding his phone back into his pocket.

"Ready?" he asked the twins. They nodded and followed him out the door to get into the car. The three rode in silence until they reached the elementary school. "Do you two want me to walk you in?" Stan asked.

"No," Mituna answered already unfastening his seatbelt. Stan pulled the car up to the front curb and parked while Mituna grabbed his bag. The boy pushed the car door open and helped his brother out of the car.

"Have a great day," Stan smiled.

"But its school," Sollux grumbled.

"Bye," Mituna said impatiently.

"Bye," Stan repeated and once Mituna had closed the back door he drove off. Mituna walked with Sollux until they stood outside the blind boy's classroom.

"You'll sit with me at lunch right?" Mituna asked.

"I always do, Tuna," Sollux sighed. "See you later," he turned to enter the classroom leaving Mituna standing in the doorway watching his retreating back. The warning bell sounded and Mituna turned from Sollux's classroom to go to his own before he was late. Sollux found his seat and sat down with a sigh. He ran his fingers over the Braille printed nametag at the top of his desk. S-O-L-L-U-X the bumps spelled out beneath his finger tips.

"Was that your brother?" a girl's voice asked from beside him.

"Yeah," Sollux answered. "Who are you again?" He still hadn't memorized all of his new classmate's names.

"I'm Terezi," the girl answered. By the sound of her voice her lips must've been parted in a wide grin. "Do you like playing pretend? I could use a teammate during recess."

"A teammate for what?" Sollux asked with uncertainty.

"Catching that lousy thief Senator Lemonsnout and putting him on trial!" Terezi answered enthusiastically.

"Who's Senator Lemonsnout?" Sollux furrowed his brow in confusion.

"He's my stuffed animal," Terezi said simply. "He's not actually here. He's at my house but I pretend like he's here and when I go home I tell him about all the crimes he's committed," she cackled with glee.

"That sounds weird," Sollux replied.

"It's what I do for fun," Terezi shrugged. She sounded as though she was used to being called weird. "What do you do for fun?"

"I mostly just play with my brother," Sollux admitted.

"Is your brother your only friend?" Terezi probed.

"No!" Sollux said defensively. "I've got- I've got another friend," he said hesitating when he was afraid he had said too much.

"Do they go to this school? They can help us track down Senator Lemonsnout," Terezi giggled excitedly.

"No he doesn't go here," Sollux said right before the final bell rang to begin the morning announcements.

"So you'll play with me at recess?" Terezi asked with her grinning voice.

"Yeah I guess," Sollux answered. The students were silenced to listen to the announcements before the teacher began the lesson for the day. By lunchtime Sollux had warmed up to Terezi enough to invite her to sit with him and Mituna. When Mituna took his seat across from Sollux he frowned.

"Who's that?" he asked angrily.

"That's Terezi," Sollux answered. "She's my new friend."

"I thought I was your friend!" Mituna sounded offended.

"Yeah but you're my brother. I want to have other friends too," Sollux answered.

"Well I don't," Mituna crossed his arms.

"Do you want to play with us at recess?" Terezi offered kindly.

"No. I hate you!" Mituna shouted which drew the attention of a nearby teacher.

"What's all the yelling?" demanded the elderly male faculty member. Mituna burst into tears alarming the teacher even further. "What happened over here?"

"My brother doesn't want me to make new friends," Sollux answered feeling embarrassed by all of the unwanted attention.

"Come with me young man and we can have your parents come pick you up," the teacher patted Mituna's shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

"I don't have parents!" Mituna shouted and pulled away from the man's hand. "I have a Stan and Craig." The teacher looked over at Sollux and asked for an explanation.

"We're adopted," Sollux said sinking further in his seat feeling his face heat up with embarrassment.

"Young man, you need to calm down and come with me," the teacher commanded.

"Fine," Mituna gave in and followed the teacher out of the cafeteria while still in tears.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Terezi asked.

"I guess," Sollux said meekly. "He's been acting really weird for awhile."

"I didn't know you're adopted," she said.

"That's because I didn't tell you. And I wasn't gonna," Sollux lisped.

"It's okay if you are adopted. I don't think that makes you weird," Terezi insisted. Somehow hearing the weirdest girl in class tell him that she didn't think he was weird didn't comfort him much.

After school, Sollux went alone with Craig to the grocery store while Stan stayed home with Mituna. They didn't talk much since Craig wasn't a very talkative man but it was a comfortable silence.

"How are you liking your class? Learning some helpful stuff?" Craig asked as Sollux picked out some snacks for he and his brother.

"I'm getting better at reading Braille," the boy answered thinking back to the day's lesson. He placed a box in the shopping cart and walked with Craig to the next aisle. "I made a new friend today. Her name is Terezi."

"Is she in your class?" Craig asked in surprise.

"Yeah she's blind too," Sollux said. "Mituna didn't like her though," he grumbled.

"You should still be friends with her even if Mituna has a problem with it," Craig stated. "You are allowed to have friends. Why do you think he doesn't like her?"

"I don't know," Sollux answered honestly. They paused for Craig to put a few things in the cart and cross them off the list. "He's just acting crazy."

"Stan and I are going to have a counselor talk to Mituna to find out why he's been acting the way he has been. Do you feel like you would like to talk to someone too?" Craig asked.

"What would I talk about? I'm not acting crazy am I?" Sollux asked worriedly.

"No," Craig amended quickly. "No, just- if you wanted to talk about your feelings towards me or Stan or if you have something on your mind you aren't comfortable telling us."

"I don't need to talk to anyone." Sollux shook his head. The two got in line to check out and were silent for a few minutes.

"Looks like that prize machine up front has toy bees in it," Craig said when he was able to get a closer look. "You want a quarter to go try it out?"

"Yeah!" Sollux said excitedly. Craig dug in his pocket for his change and pulled out two quarters.

"Get something for your brother too. There's two machines up there. The one with the bees is on the left," Craig instructed. Sollux clutched the quarters in one hand and his cane in the other as he found his way up front. His cane ended up hitting the stand of something and he reached forward to feel the glass bubble and metal lever of the prize machine. His hands searched until he determined where the one on the left was and put his quarter in it then turned the lever. A plastic egg popped out of the flap with the toy hidden inside. He repeated the action to get a second plastic egg.

"Did you get something?" Craig asked pulling up beside the child with his cart full of bagged groceries.

"Yeah," Sollux answered. He handed Craig one of the eggs. "That's for Tuna." He then opened the egg in his hands and felt the toy to get a better idea of what he got. All he could really discern was that, yep, it was a bee. Nevertheless, he was excited about his new treasure and vowed to get one every time he went to the grocery store. Craig smiled at the child's excitement and loaded everything up into the car so they could get home for supper. As Sollux played with the bee toy in the car he thought about the time he played action figures with Eridan and an idea popped into his mind.

"Can I go to the ocean after dinner?" Sollux asked.

"As long as it's not too dark," Craig said.

"We're losing guards left and right. Surely she must be nearly upon us by now, Your Grace," Darkleer informed.

"Aye," Dualscar agreed. "But where is she if that is the case? We know she's close and by this point she's simply toyin' with us."

"We've sent rangers out to try to locate her entourage," Darkleer continued.

"And?" the King demanded.

"None of them have returned," Darkleer said gravely in his rumbling voice. Dualscar pounded his fist against the map of the kingdoms that hung on the wall.

"What the fuck are you playin' at, Mindfang?" he growled at the map's representation of the Southern Kingdom.

"Your Majesty!" a servant burst into the strategy block and immediately threw her torso into a bow. "The Lady of the Southern Kingdom approaches!" she said frantically.

"Mindfang?" Dualscar demanded.

"Yes Your Majesty but I dare not speak her name for I am too low for such a name to be permitted to cross my lips," the servant said shakily.

"Thank you for the information, you may go," Dualscar dismissed her.

"Yes Your Majesty," she hastily straightened out and swam off.

"Ready the crown block Darkleer," Dualscar ordered. "I will receive our- guests," he snarled at the word, "properly."

"Right away my King," Darkleer bowed then swam off to do as he was told.

Eridan's schoolfeeding lesson was interrupted by his servant coming to fetch him. "His Majesty King Dualscar requests your presence in the crown block Prince Eridan," the servant announced. Eridan left his tutor to go with the servant back to his respite block to prepare himself. The servant placed a small crown made from shells over Eridan's head. The crown was a show of his status- crown prince, next to inherit the position of ruler of the Atlantic Kingdom.

"What's goin' on?" Eridan asked. He rarely had to adorn himself with his crown so he knew something important must have been happening.

"The Serkets have arrived," the servant dipped his fingers in a small pot and marked the prince with a thick red paste-like substance. Bright red markings were left on Eridan's face and chest then he was being escorted to the crown block where his father was already positioned at the head of the room. Various other sea dwellers of importance lined the left and right side of the room leaving only a direct path down the middle to King Dualscar. Eridan took his place beside his father slightly further back. Cronus was nearby although not directly in the center since he was not a crowned member of the Ampora family.

Eridan stood behind his father feeling frightened and uncertain. He had never seen the Serkets before but he had heard many stories about them- mostly bad ones. He didn't think he had actually heard of anyone speaking kindly of the rulers of the Southern Kingdom. Certainly his father did not care for them. "Father?" Eridan spoke weakly.

"What is it boy?" Dualscar answered in a gruff tone. Everything about him seemed tense.

"Are the Serkets really goin' to be comin' here?" Eridan asked fearfully.

"That would be why we're all in here," Dualscar snapped. He looked quite a bit more intimidating than usual with his large shell crown over his head and bright red war paint that resembled blood, which was the idea. "Just stand there an' shut up. Unless you have anymore asinine questions?"

"The Serkets don't really kill sea folk an' lay eggs in their dead bodies to take 'em over do they?" Eridan asked worriedly. Dualscar turned on him so fast he could barely blink before he felt his father's sharp teeth pierce the flesh of his shoulder. The King pulled away quickly and looked him straight in his pain stricken eyes.

"There'll be no more talk a' that nonsense. Now straighten up an' quit quiverin' in fear for fuck's sake. Don't let your enemy see your weakness," Dualscar hissed. "Now shut yer mouth and for the love a' fuck don't look 'em in the eye." Dualscar turned his attention back to the door while Eridan chanced an experimental touch to his shoulder. He winced when his fingertips made contact with the fresh teeth marks and he pulled away to see the violet hue of his blood floating off his fingers. He turned to look beside him and sure enough the water was tinted violet with his blood. He looked over at Cronus and was sure he still looked fearful by the way his cousin was offering an encouraging smile. A servant entered the block looking rather blank faced and distant.

"Announcing Her Almighty Ruler of the Seas- Marquis Mindfang Serket and her heiress Vriska Serket," the servant said loudly to the room and stepped aside for the much anticipated visitors to enter with their entourage. Dualscar grit his teeth while Eridan just stared in amazement. Mindfang and her daughter were unlike any other sea dweller the young prince had ever encountered. The rulers of the Southern Kingdom were intimidating but also very beautiful in a strange sort of way. Mindfang and Vriska looked very similar, both with long black hair and a crustacean like tail that resembled a blue lobster. Both also had eight arms, four on each side. They moved with a dark gracefulness into the center of the block with the other members of their court following silently behind them. Eridan snuck a glance at Mindfang's face and saw that along with a haughty smirk she also had an eye with eight pupils that seemed to glow. Vriska, who looked to be close to Eridan's age, stood beside her mother looking bored.

"Almighty Ruler of the Seas?" Dualscar questioned with distaste. "I wasn't aware that Peixes and I had surrendered our kingdoms. Strider or Vantas either not that they matter much."

"I thought it had a nice ring to it," Mindfang answered with a grin that showed off her impressive fangs. Her voice was confident and sophisticated although it had an underlying note of poison. She turned her glowing gaze to the servant that had introduced her. Eridan recognized him as being one of the castle's staff. "I'm bored with you," she said and gave a wicked smirk as the servant's screams suddenly filled the room. Eridan watched in horror as the servant began to bleed from every orifice in his face then a heavy silence fell over the room as the screaming stopped and the servant collapsed and floated freely.

"What are you doin' here Mindfang?" the King demanded.

"So informal," Mindfang pouted playfully. "Not even a 'welcome to the Atlantic' from grumpy old Dualscar, the grumpiest of the grumpy gills?" Darkleer moved beside Dualscar to say something but the King motioned for him to remain quiet. The exchange did not go unnoticed by Mindfang.

"Why are you here?" Dualscar repeated.

"Fine," Mindfang sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. "I'll get straight to business. It's so cold and lonely in my kingdom I decided it was time to move a little farther north," she said with false sweetness.

"Forget it," Dualscar growled. "You had your chance to form an alliance but you blew it the day of the ceremony," he said bitterly.

"What can I say? I change my mind often. Now I'm changing it back," Mindfang said loftily.

"If you're referrin' to the pups you can forget that too. I'm not marryin' off my boy to a Serket," Dualscar said.

"I have no intentions of that," she cast a disdainful look in Eridan's direction. "In fact, I have no intentions of an alliance at all. This time I was thinking I would just take you out of the picture altogether and combine the Southern and Atlantic Kingdoms into one. One in which I am the sole ruler," Mindfang stated. The block was shocked into silence.

"You can't be fuckin serious," Dualscar finally said. "My kingdom is the second most powerful of all the seas and you think I'm goin' to hand it over to you just like that?"

"Well it would be a lot less painful for you if you just hand it over, so yes," Mindfang explained.

"You're outta your damn mind!" the King shouted. Mindfang shrugged and turned her gaze towards Dualscar's court. The eye with eight pupils began to glow again and Cronus stepped forward from the crowd. Before anyone could react Cronus was screaming in pain as his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth began to bleed. It didn't take very long until he too was floating lifelessly. Eridan looked away feeling overwhelmed with anguish.

"No!" Dualscar cried out. It was much too late. It was all over just as quickly as it had begun. "How could you?" Dualscar accused, his voice betrayed his emotions.

"I did tell you that it would be less painful for you if you just handed over the kingdom," Mindfang cackled. "I'll leave you to get your affairs in order. If you aren't ready to surrender by the time I return then he will be next," she pointed a sharp nailed finger at Eridan. The prince felt his heart drop into his stomach and he moved closer to his father. Dualscar glared at Mindfang in response. "Well I best be heading off. Until we meet again, Dualscar," she waved her fingers and turned to leave. Vriska cast one last look at the floating corpses and the clouds of bloody water around them before her eyes flickered to Eridan. Her lip curled up over her small fangs in a mischievous smirk at the young prince while he cowered behind his father. Eridan stared at her wide eyed as she looked at him then turned to follow her mother and the rest of the Southern Kingdom's entourage out of the crown block.

Everyone was still, unsure of what to do until the King spoke. When there was word that the Serkets were out of the castle Dualscar instructed everyone to leave and called for the priest to be sent for the dead. Eridan was sent to his room. The young prince didn't sleep much that night. Every time he closed his eyes he would see his cousin dying or the servant or Vriska's fangs under her curled lip. He was surprised when Equius came for him in the morning for their combat lesson.

"I'm too tired," Eridan mumbled. "I'm not in the mood."

"The King insists you continue," Equius insisted. Eridan sulked but went with the teenager to begin the lesson for the day. The two practiced for several hours until Eridan finally demanded that they take a break. The prince swam a fair distance away from where they had been practicing. He enjoyed the feeling of venturing as far out as he dared to go. It felt almost like he could just keep swimming until his fears and troubles were so far behind him they would only be distant memories.

He was so caught up in his thoughts he was jolted with fear when a small object floated down onto his head. He backed up and looked around for what had hit him and he saw a brightly colored object floating deeper into the water. He swam down to grab it and inspected it closely once it was in his hands. The material was foreign to him although he had felt something similar when he was playing action figures with Sollux. He noticed that the object had an indention around the middle that reminded him of an oyster shell. He pried it open like an oyster and inside he found several rocks. Once the rocks were discarded he found a tiny bee figurine. The child's heart began to race as he turned the bee over in his fingers. He looked up towards the surface and saw two more little treasures floating down into the water. He grabbed both and opened them hastily. Hidden among rocks were two more bee figures. Eridan felt his lips turn up into a smile despite himself and he clutched the bees in his fist as he sped towards the surface.

Eridan's head finally broke the surface and he looked around among the waves anxiously. All he could see was ocean around him. The ache of disappointment tugged at his heart until he noticed the sea gulls overhead. He followed where it seemed they were coming from and after a few minutes he saw shore in the distance. There were houses built right on the sand and a colorful floating object caught the sea dweller's eye. It was another plastic treasure floating within throwing distance of one of the houses. Eridan felt himself break into a full-on grin as he sank beneath the waves to swim back to where he knew Equius was waiting for him.


End file.
